[DVD] Anime Review: Blue Exorcist

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Suz in Animation, Anime, Reviews // 1 Comment

Fifteen-year-old Rin Okumura has been ostracised from society ever since he was a young boy. His superhuman strength and short temper intimidate those around him, resulting in casualties and mysterious occurrences. As Rin engages in an unwanted fight with the local bully, blue flames engulf him — a trademark sign that he is Satan’s son, and inheritor of Satan’s fearsome powers. When Satan kills Rin’s guardian, Rin was determined to achieve two goals: 1) become the world’s strongest exorcist and 2) to kill Satan himself. But with Rin constantly on the run from demons, the path ahead was going to be a long-winded nightmare. Will Rin succeed?

After years of watching mainstream shonen such as Naruto, Bleach and Full-Metal Alchemist, A1-Pictures’ BLUE EXORCIST will captivate anime fans in similar fashion. From its blood-soaked action to its daring Christian references, Blue Exorcist is gallantly gutsy in its storytelling. The son of Satan to become a exorcist… in order to kill his father? As absurd as it sounds, this concept is an instant winner. With so much cold-blooded destruction caused by the overlord of Hell, it is evident that Satan is humanity’s enemy. Who else better to eradicate Satan than his own son? The question is: how is it even possible that Rin is Satan’s son?

Considering the judgemental scrutiny around him, Rin’s journey isn’t as easy as he thought it would be. Not only does Rin have to validate his strength to kill Satan, but he also wants to prove that he is like any other normal human and not to be judged as a threat to society. While we can’t help but compare Rin to Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, Rin’s characterisation is typical of the shonen genre. As his family and friends discover his secret and tries to accept Rin for who he is, we slowly witness them warming up to Rin’s human side — an appeal that will always attract shonen fans no matter what.

Offering a well-executed story in which sees a balance of school life and demon dramas, the audience ultimately becomes immersed in Rin’s world with avid enthusiasm. In a world where students get to train as exorcists and fight demons, they must also learn essential skills such as identifying herbs, sword-fighting, and summoning incarnations to defend themselves from evil.

With schoolmates like Shiemi, Suguro, Konekomaru, Izumo, and Renzo, the audience can’t help but yearn to be a True Cross Academy student as well. But with a nuisance like Rin running amuck, only his older brother Yukio can keep him in check. A strong reminder of Full-Metal Alchemist’s Ed and Al, the dynamic relationship between the twin brothers is intriguing to watch. They might be on different wave lengths, but one cannot do anything without the other, and it is incredibly heartwarming to see the spirit of brotherhood being stressed throughout the series.

This manifestation of brotherhood continues even towards the conclusion of the anime in which a momentous battle takes place. To many fans’ delight, a culmination of everything that makes Blue Exorcist ~Blue Exorcist is displayed in its final moments right to very end. Complete with epic action, captivating drama and the ongoing demonstration of an unbreakable sibling bond, prepare for the spectacular rush of adrenalin that will have you demanding for more.

Unfortunately, a majority of viewers would have considered the climax to be oddly short-lived. While fans do appreciate the revelation of some lingering unanswered questions, there is no doubt at all that there could have been more to the plot. Nevertheless, fans will be satisfied to see a (somewhat) happy ending for our favourite characters. But is Blue Exorcist the anime really going to end at just one season?

DVD extras: As part of Madman Entertainment’s ‘Blue Exorcist Complete Series‘ edition, fans are treated to special bonus features such as exclusive short clips; the unaired episode of ‘Kuro Runs Away from Home‘; and textless opening and ending videos. These features don’t necessarily add value to the overall viewing process of the anime but it will satisfy fans’ lust for more fan-service.

Overall: A-1 Pictures’ BLUE EXORCIST is one of the best shonen anime series that we have encountered, hands down. Following the footsteps of other popular series such as Naruto and Bleach, Blue Exorcist has so much to offer that positions itself (as an anime) on a similar yet unique level in the world of shonen. This anime is a must-watch and purchase for your anime collection!

Rating: 9/10